Choose Whatever You Like

Seeing that it was already late, Ye Luochen did not head to the classroom.

Given his current situation, there was no real need for him to continue studying with the class.

The basic knowledge of Soul Tools had already been taught to him by the several Soul Engineers Jing Hongchen had assigned to him earlier.

As for more advanced material, he had now taken Xuan Ziwen as his master.

All things considered, it would be better to devote more of his energy to Mingde Hall.

With that in mind, Ye Luochen tidied up, grabbed a quick bite at the cafeteria, and headed straight for Mingde Hall.

However, he had barely stepped through Mingde Hall's doors when he happened to encounter a teacher walking toward him.

"Ye Luochen? Perfect timing. I was just about to look for you."

Ye Luochen knew this man well. Whenever something came up at Mingde Hall, he was the one who delivered the notice. He had also been responsible for delivering the two Class 9 Soul Tools to Ye Luochen yesterday.

"May I ask what this is about?"

Ye Luochen asked, somewhat puzzled.

The Soul Hunting Operation had already come to an end, and Xuan Ziwen was overseeing his studies at Mingde Hall. What could possibly require his attention at this point?

"You'll know when you get there. Heh, the Hall Master has really gone all out for you this time."

The man waved his hand and motioned for Ye Luochen to follow.

Though confused, Ye Luochen obediently followed him.

They went deeper inside and arrived at an area completely unfamiliar to Ye Luochen.

Before they even entered, several roars rang out from within.

Roar!

Roar!

The roars rose and fell one after another.

"This... is this?"

Ye Luochen froze slightly.

Judging from the sounds, they could not have been made by humans. They sounded more like the cries of beasts.

But what kind of place was this?

This was Mingde Hall, the absolute core of the academy, protected by layer upon layer of checkpoints and inaccessible to ordinary people.

How could there be wild beasts here?

"Go in and take a look. The Hall Master has prepared a great gift for you."

Hearing those words and connecting them with the occasional roars from beyond the doors, Ye Luochen suddenly recalled something.

Soul rings.

Since the Soul Hunting Operation had ended without results, Jing Hongchen had promised that he would personally find suitable soul beasts for him.

Ye Luochen had never doubted the sincerity of that promise.

Over this period of contact, he had been able to tell that Jing Hongchen was genuinely willing to invest resources in him.

The various promises he had made before had also, for the most part, been fulfilled.

But Ye Luochen had assumed that the matter of the soul ring would take some time.

After all, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were still bedridden. Jing Hongchen's attention should have been focused on them during this time.

Yet only one day had passed, and everything was already prepared?

Such speed was truly far beyond his expectations.

But the issue was that he had not been involved at all. Could the soul beasts found in his absence really suit him?

With those doubts in mind, the doors opened.

Before him lay an exceptionally spacious hall, filled with several massive metal cages.

Inside those metal cages were soul beasts of all different appearances, constantly struggling and roaring.

Beside them stood several enormous potted plants, their branches endlessly lashing about. They were clearly plant-type soul beasts.

"This... this is?"

The scene before him had truly exceeded Ye Luochen's expectations.

It was entirely different from what he had imagined.

"You're here?"

A voice rang out as Jing Hongchen emerged and explained,

"What I said yesterday still stands. I would personally obtain your Fourth Soul Ring, but I didn't know exactly what you needed, so I captured several soul beasts for you."

"From thousand-year to ten-thousand-year soul beasts, from plant types to animal types, they're all here. Take a look and see whether any are suitable."

"If none of them are, then I'll—"

Before Jing Hongchen could finish, Ye Luochen hurriedly waved his hands and cupped his fist in salute.

"No, no, no, this is enough. It's more than enough. Luochen thanks the Hall Master for his generous favor!"

What lay before him had completely surpassed all his expectations.

The master of Mingde Hall had personally captured a large number of soul beasts and brought them back to Mingde Hall for him to choose from as his Fourth Soul Ring.

If word of this got out, it would cause an uproar throughout the academy, the empire, and perhaps even the entire continent.

What an extraordinary honor and favor this was!

Never mind whether the soul beasts before him were truly suitable—even if they were not, he could not say so.

He absolutely could not refuse such goodwill.

After suppressing his emotions, Ye Luochen turned his gaze toward the metal cages before him at Jing Hongchen's signal.

And once he looked, he realized that his earlier worries had been entirely unnecessary.

There were nearly ten cages in total, and without exception, every soul beast possessed a sharpness attribute.

Blade-Tooth Mantis, Sharp-Beak Bird, Iron-Armor Rhino, Thorn Vine...

Whether beast or plant, any one of them would have been an exceptional match for Ye Luochen's martial soul.

Not only that, there were six-thousand-year, seven-thousand-year, eight-thousand-year, nine-thousand-year, ten-thousand-year, twelve-thousand-year, and even one twenty-thousand-year soul beast.

Their cultivation ages covered every possible range.

He finally understood why the teacher who had come to notify him upon his arrival at Mingde Hall had said, "The Hall Master has really gone all out for you."

This could no longer be described simply as being attentive.

It truly left him feeling overwhelmed by such favor.

"Hall Master, this... you've put in far too much effort!"

Coming back to his senses, Ye Luochen hurriedly bowed to Jing Hongchen in thanks.

The two Class 9 Soul Tools from before could barely be explained as compensation. After all, he had nearly lost his life despite being under a teacher's protection.

But what lay before him had already far exceeded the concept of "compensation."

Capturing so many soul beasts alive was no easy task.

What was more, they had all been carefully selected to be extremely compatible with him, making the difficulty soar even higher.

"It's nothing. It only took a bit of effort."

Jing Hongchen smiled and waved it off.

"Enough. Take a look for yourself and decide which one suits you best. Every cage has a triggered Soul Guidance Cannon installed. Press the button, and the soul beast inside will be killed."

Hearing this, Ye Luochen repeatedly thanked him again.

But gratitude aside, Ye Luochen knew perfectly well that after absorbing this soul ring, he would likely be completely tied to Mingde Hall.

Having accepted so many favors, even if they had not originally been on the same boat, they should now be.

However, Ye Luochen did not find that objectionable.

A gentleman judged deeds, not intentions. Regardless of what plans or ambitions the other party had, the favors and resources he had received were real.

Moreover, from the very beginning, Jing Hongchen had plainly told him that Mingde Hall would place a heavy bet on him and naturally hoped that he would demonstrate corresponding value.

Since that was the case, he would accept it openly.